The Intruder
by LaFlaneur
Summary: "For love is strong as death, and jealousy cruel as the grave." An old friend comes all the way from Shanghai to visit Jem; Will begins to question his relationship with his parabatai. Mayhem ensues.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note**: Well hello again. As promised, here I am with more Heronstairs goodness. This is less angst and more fun than my last story. You can also ignore the slash here - at least up until about the third chapter or so. After that, the slash kind of slaps you in the face, so ... you have been warned. This story operates around the premise that Jem had a best friend back in Shanghai, a best friend that Will knew nothing about whatsoever, and that makes Will adorably jealous. Please read and enjoy! Rated T for language, brief violence, and *_cough cough_* eventual groping._

* * *

Will ran up and grabbed his parabatai from behind. "Where _have_ you been? You missed it this morning, I had the most _splendid_-"

The boy who was most certainly _not_ Jem turned and dropped his hood.

"Jem… have you done something different with your hair?" Will chuckled at his own cleverness.

The boy stared back at Will with slanted brown eyes and an endearingly scandalized expression. He certainly _looked_ an awful lot like Jem, sans his coloring, and his earnest gaze was making Will uneasy.

"It was a joke," he clarified, "I know you're not Jem. No need to look so … violated."

The boy tilted his head to one side and his eyes widened.

"Uh…" Will stuck out his hand, "I'm Will."

When the boy offered neither his hand nor his name, Will pouted. "You're no fun at all," he decided, then griped: "It's fine. I didn't want to talk to you either."

"Even if you'd wanted to, you wouldn't have been able," came Jessamine's voice from the sitting room. "He doesn't speak any English."

Will looked back to the boy cowering at the foot of the stairs, then turned to face the place where he had seen Jessamine to be lounging in an armchair, her feet dangling over one arm. "Were you intending to tell me _why_ there is a mute foreigner blocking the stairs? Are we taking in strays? I've heard the Chinese make abysmal pets…"

Jessamine didn't laugh at his jape; she never did. "Don't be daft, Will. He's here to see Jem."

_Oh. Obvious_.

"And has Jem grown tired of him so soon, to leave him unclaimed here in our entry hall?"

"Jem hasn't seen him yet – I think he's still in town with Thomas. They went to get a few necessities for his friend's stay. Charlotte got him from the one o'clock train – told me to watch him."

"And what an admirable job you're doing."

Jessamine gave Will a mischievous look and said, "Oh, I'm watching…" Then she looked pointedly back at Jem's friend, "He looks … _delicious_."

Will raised an eyebrow but turned back to perform his own appraisal of the boy. Now that Jessie mentioned it … yes, he was rather startlingly beautiful. His brown eyes were so dark they were almost black, perfectly formed, and set delicately in the fine frame of his face. His hair was shiny black velvet. His complexion was flawless – the same delicate skin as Jem's – with perfect white teeth and a fine, soft mouth. His cheekbones were set high, and his nose was a precious little button. He was slim like Jem, too, of an almost identical build. Slight shoulders and a trim waist, with only the subtlest of swells when one came to his hips. He stood with his hands behind his back and his posture was preposterously correct.

Will hummed thoughtfully in the back of his throat. "I suppose he's not awful to look upon," he admitted, grudgingly, then turned back to Jessamine. "But I thought you didn't like Nephilim? You're quite vocal about your preference for mundane men."

Jessamine didn't even bother to look at him when she answered, but let her eyes linger on Jem's friend, caressing the boy in a most indelicate manner with nothing but her gaze. "Who _cares_?" she said, "He's gorgeous _and_ he's foreign. That's more than enough for me…"

Will considered. _Foreign? Was that really a quality one ought to consider when selecting potential paramours?_ He shook his head to dispel the stray thought. "Well," he said, "I'll be upstairs. Do try not to violate him in the next few hours; Jem will be sure to make a fuss."

Before he left, however, he cast one last wary look towards the stranger. Jem had not _told_ him of any impending visits from old friends … but, he supposed, Jem wasn't obligated to tell him _everything_.

"I'm watching you," he told the boy with the lovely cheekbones, and then started up the stairs to sulk in private.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note**: Just call me ridiculously overeager. But I couldn't help posting the next short installment of this story before bed. The chapters will eventually get longer, I promise, though for now they'll be short and I'll just try to post more often than I normally would. This chapter is still slash-free unless you're wearing your goggles, so enjoy and let me know what you think : )_

* * *

When Will came back down later in the afternoon, it was to find that Jessamine had gone. Charlotte was sitting in her armchair, a cup of tea balanced neatly on her knees. Across from her sat the boy with the pretty eyes, his own tea untouched on the table before him, posture perfect and still looking desperately uncomfortable.

Charlotte looked distinctly relieved to find Will in the hallway. "Will!" she called hurriedly, "Why don't you join us?"

Will raised an eyebrow, "And intrude upon your riveting conversation? I couldn't possibly."

Charlotte pursed her lips and said, "Sit," perhaps more sharply than she'd meant to.

Will huffed, but he grudgingly took the seat beside the Chinese boy.

Charlotte bit her lip anxiously. "I really don't know what's taking them so long. They should have been back hours ago." She smiled politely at her guest and gestured to the clock on the wall: "Soon," she said, slowly and clearly.

The boy looked to the clock and then back at Charlotte, but his expression never changed from the look of wary uncertainty.

"You're right," Will said, "something terrible might have happened. I should probably go and-"

"No," Charlotte said, "you will stay exactly where you are. I have already been abandoned by Jessamine…" This last she hissed under her breath, though they both knew they couldn't possibly have offended their guest with any words spoken in English.

Just then the carriage was heard on the gravel of the drive. Everyone in the room leaned forward an inch or two, towards the door, and Charlotte said: "_Oh, thank God_!" in an undertone.

Will saw Jem climb down from the carriage; from the corner of his eye he noticed the stranger whom he had previously assumed to be in possession of only a single facial expression break out into a wide grin. The smile brought his face to life in much the same way Jem's smiles made his entire countenance brighten and expand. Will was about to make a snide remark when the door opened and Jem hurried in to the sitting room. Charlotte and the strange boy stood to greet his _parabatai_, but Will was a few beats late.

Jem smiled and Will smiled back. He opened his mouth to say something clever about-

"Nan," Jem said, and the boy in Will's periphery said, "Jian," and the words sounded as soft and sweet as prayers.

Will watched in astonishment as Jem crossed the room in three quick strides, let his cane fall from his fingers, and took the stranger in his arms. The embrace was tender, with both boys closing their eyes and whispering soft and excitedly in a language that was all but gibberish to Will.

When they separated, Jem faced the rest of the room and had the decency to look slightly abashed. "Charlotte," he said first, "my apologies for our tardiness. There was a rally – the streets were a mess… There are no excuses, but I am here now." He smiled wide, beaming once at his friend before turning back to the rest of the room. "Charlotte, Will, may I present my oldest friend – Nan, of the Shanghai Institute."

Nan turned back to Will and Charlotte with a slight incline of his head that was ancient and regal and made Will roll his eyes.

Jem turned back to Nan and made Charlotte and Will's introductions in rapid Chinese.

Charlotte smiled pleasantly, too obviously relieved to have Jem back as translator. "Please tell Nan that we are thrilled to make his acquaintance. He is very welcome here."

Jem relayed the message then turned back to Charlotte, "Thank you, Charlotte. May I show Nan where he will he staying? I had Sophie prepare the room across from mine; Thomas will be bringing up a few of the items we brought this afternoon."

"Certainly," Charlotte smiled, "Supper will be at eight."

Jem nodded once and was gone before Will could say a word, his … _oldest friend_ trailing behind him like a puppy.

"How lovely it is to see Jem so happy," Charlotte said when they had gone.

"That's not the word I'd have chosen," Will said harshly, and stomped from the sitting room alone.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note**: Yay for chapter three! I have to say I'm rather pleased with this installment - mostly for the fun banter between Will and Jessamine. I think theirs is definitely a love-hate relationship, and one that is vastly underrated. Anyway, I'm babbling. Please enjoy and let me know if there is anything at all I could be doing to make your reading experience more pleasurable : )_

* * *

The spot across from Will was empty, as was the spot beside it. Charlotte coughed nervously from her place at the head of the supper table. "Sophie," she said, much more calmly than she felt, "Would you please go and fetch Master Jem and his guest? I am sure they have been catching up and simply lost track of the hour."

Will said, "How _unimaginably_ rude."

At his elbow, Jessamine said, "Catching up? Is _that_ what they call it in China?"

Charlotte frowned. "Enough, both of you."

But when she turned to converse with Henry about the likelihood of Nan enjoying English cooking, Jessamine leaned close to Will's ear.

"He was meant to be Jem's _parabatai_, you know, back in Shanghai."

Will raised an eyebrow, but tried to keep his voice steady as he said, "Jessamine, how could you _possibly_ know that?"

Jessamine shrugged. "Jem told me. He said they were friends since childhood. They had already scheduled the ceremony and everything when Jem's parents were murdered and he was sent here. Their parting was quite heartbreaking, from what I hear…."

Will frowned and took a sip of water. But, "Don't talk about Jem's parents," was all he said.

"Aw," Jessamine cooed, a devilish smile on her face. "Poor Will. You're not _jealous_, are you?"

Will calmly set his glass back on the hardwood of the table. "Jealous?" he asked, attempting his best haughty indifference. "What – of Jem's childhood playmate? Hardly."

"Oh don't be like that," Jessamine purred. "Or rather, do. But wait until Jem gets here. We have a bet."

"Jem doesn't gamble."

"You're right; he doesn't. But he was uncharacteristically eager to defend your nobler virtues. He finally bet me a shilling that you _wouldn't _be absolutely green with envy."

"You bet against me," Will said, "How very predictable."

"You're _awfully_ moody. You'll have to do better than that if you're going to fool Jem. Then again … maybe not. He doesn't seem to see much of anything with _Nan_ around."

"I'm sorry, Jessamine, did I mistakenly give the impression that I was _enjoying_ our conversation? Let me be blunt: silence would be highly preferable."

Jessamine huffed but occupied herself with her wine glass and soon lost all interest in taunting Will. This was fortuitous, as it gave Will more time to mope.

When finally Jem and Nan showed up to the dinner table, Jem was looking flushed and giddy. "My apologies, everyone. Nan was giving me news of old friends. I did not mean to make you wait for your supper; I'm sure you are all hungry." He gestured Nan to his place across from Will, then took for himself the place at Nan's right-hand side. "I know _we_ are famished."

Will rolled his eyes, but he was almost certain Jem didn't see him.

They might not have come to supper at all, for all the attention they paid the rest of the table. They whispered back and forth constantly. Rapid-fire Mandarin, heads tilted in towards one another, whispering and giggling and sharing covert glances. If anyone were to address Jem, his head would jerk up and he would blink as if waking from a dream. "I'm sorry?" he would say, and then pointedly ask the speaker to repeat themselves.

He had eyes for no one but Nan, and Will could not help but marvel at how truly similar they were, now that they were seated beside one another. Will had always thought of Jem as an Englishman, whatever his mother's heritage had been. With the exception of his eyes, there was nothing left to single him out as exotic in any way; he had long since lost the dark pigment of his hair and eyes. But now, watching the two together, Jem and Nan, Will might have called them brothers.

Jem spoke a language Will could not understand – a language he had only ever used jokingly with Will. It transformed him somehow. He became more exotic, more ancient and spiritual. Gone was the stiff formality of the English gentleman; when Jem spoke in his mother's tongue he became another man altogether.

"Do you think Nan would like to see the city?" Jessamine asked suddenly, deceptively sweet.

Jem nodded, and forgot his manners as he said excitedly around a mouthful of food. "Oh, yes. Nan has always wanted to see London, ever since I came here with my father as a boy. We had planned an excursion for tomorrow."

"Lovely," Jessamine clapped her hands and added: "You ought to let Will tag along. He knows the city better than anyone."

Jem swallowed his food and looked at Will for the first time that evening. Will thought he saw the color rise in his _parabatai's_ face, though he couldn't have been sure. "Yes," Jem agreed, suddenly sounding far less enthusiastic, "he certainly does."

Jessamine looked from Jem to Will. "Wonderful," she smiled, and Will could have killed her. "You boys will all have such _fun_."

So this was it, then. The game was on.

Will took Jessamine's wine from her hand and finished it off in one swallow. He looked across the table at Nan, knowing full well that the stranger could not understand his words. He smiled devilishly, leaned forward dangerously, and said: "I like fun," before excusing himself.

And one did not need to speak English to understand Will's meaning. Whatever his words might have been, the _tone_ was crystal clear. It was a challenge.

* * *

Will hardly slept a wink that long night. He had gone to bed with every intention of pulling his hidden flask from between his mattresses and drinking himself into a dreamless coma. He heard Jem and Nan come up the stairs about a half an hour after he had left dinner, however, and became instantly more interested in their doings than in any previously-formed plan.

At the sound of their voices, Will set aside his drink and tiptoed over the hardwood to his bedroom door. Pressing his ear against the cool surface, Will could hear them laughing together. Jem's laugh – so familiar, so warm and genuine that it made Will's heart stutter. But then Nan made some remark and Will frowned at the sound of his voice over Jem's.

Will waited until he heard Jem's bedroom door shut. He then retrieved his flask and set up camp on the floor, leaning against the doorframe and listening in for any sound of movement.

For a while there was only conversation – quick voices back and forth, quiet laughter, companionable silences. Then Will heard the all too familiar sound of Jem's violin and his stomach contracted painfully.

The song Jem chose to perform was one Will had never heard, and he couldn't have said if this pleased him or further inflamed his anger. On the one hand, he didn't think he could have stood to heard Jem play one of the song he had so often played for Will … on the other hand, why were there songs Jem had never played for Will?

Will could picture them together – Jem standing tall and ethereal before the white-framed window of his room, moonlight casting shadows on his face, his shoulders, his fingers as they held his beloved instrument close as a lover. And Nan, sitting on Jem's bed with his absurd posture and his lovely skin, watching Will's _parabatai_ with the same wonderment that Will felt whenever Jem played. He took another healthy swig from his flask.

The music went on for nearly an hour and Will soon tired of trying to decipher the meanings behind the songs Jem chose. After the performance came more talking – quieter now, with each participant speaking for longer and longer stretches. They didn't laugh as often, and Will was torn again, wondering if this were a good or a bad sign. At one point he thought he heard his name, but he couldn't have been sure.

It was well past midnight when Will finally drifted off, cheek smashed against the hard wood of the door. He never heard Nan leave Jem's room.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note**: Hello and welcome back! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, but I can promise it won't happen again. I have finished the story as far as I would like to take it and plan on posting the remaining few chapters every other day until the story's conclusion. Please enjoy this latest installment, and just as a warning - this is where the slash begins to get somewhat unavoidable. If you did not sign on for that sort of thing, this is most likely the last chapter you will be able to enjoy._

_PS - to my lovely reviewer, **liddlepierat**: Will wasn't flirting with Nan at all; rather, he was posturing. Will's whole issue is that he is so incredibly jealous of Nan (both as someone who might once have been Jem's _parabatai_, and as someone whom he suspects of being Jem's paramour) that he becomes ridiculously incapable of thinking rationally. Rather than do the logical thing, of course, and simply talk to Jem about his issue, Will gets possessive and immature and aggressive. His intensity at dinner was him _challenging_ Nan, not flirting with him (though that certainly would have been an interesting route to take the story, lol). Anyhow, thank you so much for your faithful reviews and I look forward to hearing from you in the future!_

* * *

It was Thomas who woke him, trying to push open the bedroom door that was held closed by the dead weight of a fully grown adult male.

"Bloody hell, Thomas, you might have given a little warning!" Will groaned as he rolled away from the assault.

"My apologies," Thomas said, and kindly refrained from mentioning Will's peculiar sleeping arrangements. "But Master Jem and his guest have broken their fast and are ready to depart – they were wondering if it was still your intention to accompany them into town?"

Will rubbed at his temples and tried to discreetly kick last night's empty flask out of sight. "Already? What time is it?"

"Coming up on nine o'clock, sir."

Will cursed bitterly and scrambled to his feet. Of course: the _one night_ he was able to sleep a full eight hours and it was the one morning he could not have afforded to. "Ten minutes," he commanded, casting about for a clean shirt while simultaneously trying to smooth his hair with a palm, "tell Jem I'll be down in ten minutes!"

When Will finally rushed from his room it was with a wrinkled shift and hair that still stuck up in the back. He forced himself to slow down at the top of the stairs, tried to look casually disinterred as he descended. But Jem was standing at the bottom in the grey jacket that made his eyes flash silver when he turned them on Will, and Will had to focus on each and every step lest he trip and fall down the length of the staircase to sprawl at Jem's feet.

"Good morning, Will," Jem said, smiling cordially. "I hope we haven't rushed you; we thought we'd get an early start."

"Not at all," Will said, stealthily eyeing the stranger at Jem's shoulder. He was smiling politely, so Will smiled wider. "I quite agree. There is much to see, and only so many hours of daylight in which to see it."

If Jem was surprised at Will's good manners, he did not let it show. Will took his hat from Thomas and donned it with a flourish.

"Shall we?"

* * *

London seemed to be at her best that early autumn morning. Will smiled to step from the carriage in Trafalgar Square and see the sun shining upon his favorite city. The dappled clouds cast restless shadows on passerby out about their weekend business, and the breeze blew just strongly enough to ripple the grey expanse of the Thames.

"Well," Will said, gesturing to the commotion round about, "what would your friend like to see first?"

Jem did not need to ask Nan Will's question, so clearly they had discussed it on some previous occasion. "He had expressed an interest in seeing parliament."

Will's face fell instantly. "Parliament?" he asked, looking from Jem to Nan and then back again. "Your friend comes half way across the world to the very heart of the British Empire … and he wants to see _parliament_?"

Jem's mouth turned down to mirror Will's frown. "Honestly, Will, what did you think? That we'd be taking a tour of your favorite nighttime establishments? A city is not valued by the quality and quantity of its various bars and brothels."

The words hurt, even if Jem hadn't intended to be particularly malicious. "No," he backtracked, determined not to sour the day so soon, "I just thought-"

But Nan interrupted him with a question in Mandarin and a hand on Jem's arm. Jem nodded at him and then said to Will, with something of a sad smile: "We're going the tourist route today, I'm afraid. If you're uninterested, you might have Thomas take you back. I wouldn't want you to have wasted your day on our account."

Will smiled, tried to be as genuine as he could. "Nonsense," he said, "We will see anything and everything Nan wishes to see. And afterwards, I hope you will allow me to treat you both to dinner."

Jem smiled, but Will could not tell if it were sincere…

The rest of the afternoon was a mind-numbing parade of museums, monuments, and mansions. They saw Big Ben, the Tower, parliament, Piccadilly, and Buckingham Palace. By the end of it all, Will's jaw ached from the polite smile he had held suspended there all afternoon. He had followed behind wherever Jem and Nan led. He tried not to pay attention to the way the crowds parted before the two beautiful Oriental boys – one light and one dark – speaking an exotic language and looking for all the world like lesser gods walking among mere mortals. He tried not to dwell on the fact that he had once imagined himself as half of such a divine pair.

When finally they stepped from Westminster and back into the swiftly sinking sun, Nan said something to Jem and Jem turned to Will. "Nan wonders when we'll be breaking for supper?"

Will was a little startled at being addressed after having been ignored for so much of the afternoon. "Right," he said, casting about for any places he knew in the vicinity. They finally settled on an hotel that Will recalled as having excellent Chicken Fricassee.

As they sipped their drinks, Will tried to make polite conversation. He asked Nan how he'd enjoyed the city, and listened with feigned interest as Jem translated the boy's responses. Then Nan touched Jem's arm, expressed some question of his own, and turned back to Will with a wide smile.

Jem chuckled and looked to Will. "He wants you to tell about yourself. He says he feels ashamed to have spent all day in your company without really knowing you at all."

Will frowned. What could he possibly say about _himself_? And why did Nan feel obliged to know him? "What would he like to know?" Will asked warily, while words like _debauched_, _deplorable_, and _depraved_ floated about in his mind… "Tell him whatever you'd like, Jem, surely you would be kinder in your description than I."

Jem seemed to think a moment, then relayed his answer to Nan while the other boy listened attentively, occasionally sipping from his glass. When Jem had finished, Nan offered a few sentences in reply and Jem translated these with a smile. "He says that he is not surprised to learn of your passion for literature, as you seem to have a poet's soul."

Will scrunched up his nose. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Jem laughed and brought his glass to his lips. "He said you seem to suffer strong emotions and moods … what was it? Ah, moods 'as varied as they are all-consuming."

"…Is that an insult?"

Jem sipped his drink and chuckled, a warm glow to his eyes. "I don't think so. Poetry is a revered and respected undertaking in China; poet's are thought to be more spiritual than other men."

"Oh," Will swallowed. "Right. And … what are Nan's hobbies then?"

"Nan is something of an artist," Jem said, quickly explaining to Nan what he was telling Will before continuing. "He used to paint, back in Shanghai – last night he showed me a few of his latest pieces. He is quite talented. I can show them to you, if you'd like?"

Will nodded humbly, though there was a terrible taste in his mouth. "Of course," he managed, "One is always grateful when an artist is willing to share their gift."

Jem nodded, then leaned to hear what Nan was asking him. He frowned slightly before answering him in a few short sentences.

"What?" Will asked suddenly, aware that the conversation had taken a turn. "What did he say?"

Jem waved a dismissive hand, looking obviously uncomfortable. "Nothing. It is unimportant."

Will frowned. "Tell me."

Jem sighed. "He … he wanted to know when he would get to meet my _parabatai._"

Will sat stunned for a moment. Not for nothing, but most people did not need _telling_ that Will and Jem were brothers. "He didn't know that I was your _parabatai_? How could he not-"

"Don't get upset, Will," Jem broke in hastily, "it was simply a miscommunication. He said that he had heard so much about you, he felt certain he'd have been able to recognize you on sight."

Will looked from Jem to Nan. "Ask him what's so different about me – why don't I fit your descriptions of me. What did he think, I was just some casual acquaintance, following you about all day?"

"Will," Jem chided, "There's no need to be rude. Let it-"

"Ask him."

Jem sighed and turned to his friend, gesturing back at Will as he questioned with a serious face. When Nan answered, Jem flushed a deep red and tried to hide an embarrassed smile in his drink.

"What?" Will demanded, bewildered at Jem's blush and Nan's blank face.

"Do you really want to know?" Jem smiled.

"Obviously."

Jem sighed, fixing Will with a playful look. "He was confused because in my letters I had always described my _parabatai_ as quite handsome."

Will's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Oh," he said, stumbling, trying to think beyond the fact that Jem thought him handsome... "And Nan … _doesn't_ find me so?"

Jem smiled fondly, "Not particularly."

"Well I will try not to take that personally."

"Best not," Jem said, his blush cooling to an endearing pink.

Will folded and unfolded his napkin, but Jem did not scold him for fidgeting. "Does Nan have a _parabatai_?"

Jem looked mildly uncomfortable and Will chose to feel no pity. "Nan has elected not to choose a _parabatai_," he explained, "he remains unbonded."

Will nodded, and stopped himself from asking Jem to confirm what Jessamine had told him the night previous by finishing off his drink and pouring another. He offered the bottle to Jem and Nan. Jem declined but Nan nodded happily. He said something to Jem and Jem chuckled. "He says your English scotch is delicious."

Will laughed, "And I thought we had nothing in common."

Jem smiled, but cautioned quietly: "You ought to be careful, though, Will. Nan is not used to anything stronger than rice wine. He's liable to become ill."

Will frowned, "And why am _I_ the one who needs to be careful?"

Jem looked pointedly at Nan's glass, now full almost to the brim. "You're the one doing the pouring."

But it wasn't really until they were about halfway through the meal that Will began to notice definite signs of Nan's intoxication. Will himself could feel a familiar warmth blossoming over his cheeks, but Nan began fumbling utensils and once even spilled a bit of water down his front.

"Perhaps we ought to skip dessert," Jem said, catching the eye of the waiter and suggesting he finalize their tab.

"Aw, Jem…" Will began, but Jem cut him off, abruptly serious.

"This is not the place, Will."

"Fine," Will conceded, "but surely our evening isn't over so soon? I was having such fun."

Jem rolled his eyes. Will could feel his frustration. He was definitely angry, but he was trying very hard to conceal it. "If in fact you _were_ having fun, it was not at all for the proper reasons," he said tightly.

Will scoffed, pushing his luck. "I'm wounded, Jem. What could you possibly mean?"

"That you're not enjoying showing Nan the city, nor are you enjoying our company in the least. You _are_, however, enjoying showing off and getting drunk. I also suspect you're enjoying compromising Nan's integrity via strong liquor, though that is a cowardly and vile low to which I would not previously have thought you capable of stooping."

By the end of this little speech, Jem had quite worked himself up. He quickly sat back in his seat and tried to pretend he hadn't nearly lost his temper. He took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said more calmly: "I have indulged your childishness enough for one day, William. It is time to go home now. I cannot say precisely _why_ it is that you dislike Nan, nor why you have chosen to spend your day with us given your negative inclination towards him, but this farce has gone on quite long enough."

Will bit his lip, ran a hand through his hair. He could not think of a single thing to say to refute Jem's words, unless of course he confessed the truth of the matter. But could he say that? Out loud? Tell Jem how deeply he resented Nan's intrusion into Jem and Will's world of mutually exclusive codependence? Explain to Jem how dull and dirty he felt next to Nan's exquisite posture and fine, exotic features? Confess that the thought that Jem deserved a _parabatai_ like Nan – so much cleaner and quieter and kinder than Will himself – had haunted Will's every thought since the boy's arrival? Tell Jem that thinking about Nan as Jem's _parabatai_ twisted Will's guts into tight, painful chords? Tell Jem that everything about Jem made Will want him, and everything about Nan made Will painfully aware of all the reasons Will could never have him?

But, of course, Will could not have confessed to any of these. Instead, he tipped his head back to swallow down the rest of his drink and then glowered across at Jem as he nodded his consent. "Fine. Whatever you say, _James_."

Jem pursed his lips, but would not let Will provoke him into a retort. He turned to Nan and explained that it was time to return to the Institute. Nan frowned and seemed to protest. Jem smiled at him fondly and said a few words, gesturing, in explanation, to the spot on his shirt where Nan has spilled his drink, and began to dab at the stain, almost unconsciously. Nan smiled back, apparently conceding Jem's point. Will watched the exchange in horrified silence: Jem leant forward just slightly, drying the spot of water, his fingers at Nan's collar; and Nan, smiling gratefully, his nose only millimeters away from Jem's hair, laughing with Jem about his clumsiness.

"There," Jem said, sitting back. "Are you ready, Will?"

Will took a sharp breath through his nose and nodded stiffly.

And that, of course, is precisely when everything went to hell.

Will would later blame his terrible, awful, miserable luck – as well as the fact that some higher power seemed hell-bent on ruining his life one ill-fated disaster at a time.

This is how it happened:

Will stood first, then Jem. Nan stood last and seemed to wobble. Will had often been of the opinion that you could never truly know how intoxicated you were until you stood to leave, and Nan was no exception. He wobbled, then tripped – horror in his dark eyes at his own lack of coordination – and Will watched him fall as if in slow motion. Right into Jem he fell, knocking the cane from Jem's hands and making him gasp in pain and surprise. The two of them went down, one on top of the other, right in the center of the elegant oriental rug of the restaurant's floor. Later, Will would reflect that perhaps Jem was right, perhaps his actions that night had been unwarranted. But in that moment Will saw only the look of pain on Jem's face as Nan fell on him, knocking all the breath from his lungs. He saw only an immediate threat to his _parabatai's_ physical person. He saw only his Jem, crushed beneath the weight of another, struggling for breath with a bit of blood already blossoming on his cheek from the impact of the fall.

And he reacted.

Will lifted Nan roughly by the back of his shirt, barely registering the look of surprise and fright in the boy's eyes, and tossed him bodily a few feet away. Will heard Nan's shout and the breaking of fine china as Nan fell into a neighboring table, but he didn't care. He was at Jem's side, reaching out to steady him, to right him. But Jem turned to look at him with eyes full of shock and disappointment. "What are you _doing_?" he whispered. There was chaos and noise everywhere, but Will could only hear Jem's voice.

"Jem," Will began, "are you alrigh-"

"Get off me, Will." And Jem pushed himself to his feet, without Will's help. Nan appeared and offered Jem his cane, mute and repentant. Jem smiled at him in a tired, reassuring way, and Will thought his heart might have stopped beating. He watched them from his place on the floor, trying to catch his breath.

Jem looked down on him, met his eyes for a moment and then looked up and away, speaking instead to a random point on the far wall. "Please find your own way home, William," he said softly, and Will wished he had shouted.

Will watched his _parabatai _walk away, Nan speaking soothing words in Mandarin. It felt like the world had tipped its axis, and Will could not find his footing.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: As promised, here is the latest update to enjoy on your Friday afternoon! As I have been warning throughout, this chapter contains _physical_ slash. It is not graphic enough to be considered smut, but there is absolutely no ignoring the slash. I don't know why I feel the need to be so cautionary in these author's notes - perhaps because this fandom seems to be a little less receptive to that sort of thing than many of the other fandoms I have written for. In any case, for those of you who _do_ enjoy a good bit of slash, please let me know what you think!_

_Also, I suppose this could be considered the "final" chapter, with what comes next functioning as something of an epilogue. I haven't decided yet if I will write a sequel or anything else that includes Nan as an OC (liddlepierat did give me the excellent idea of writing a bit more from Jem's point of view), but I would like to say thank you so much for all of your kind reviews and enthusiasm where this story has been concerned : )_

* * *

Will did find his own way home, though not before spending some quality time at some of his favorite "nighttime establishments" as Jem had so kindly termed them.

He drank down twice as much liquor as he'd consumed at dinner. He laughed at every ribald joke and joined in every game of chance. He kissed a few girls of questionable modesty and swore filthy oaths up and down the East End. He didn't know why, but it made him feel better to act out in this way. Charlotte had once told him that he behaved poorly when he was looking for attention, particularly from Jem – that Jem always corrected him, or scolded him, or came to his rescue – so even if it were unconscious, Will's bad behavior was almost always an attempt to catch Jem's eye.

Will scoffed into his drink when he remembered this, but couldn't deny that it was probably all true, if only because _everything_ Will did was in some way connected to Jem. His every action, every word, were either a reaction _to_ Jem or the desire to elicit a reaction _from_ Jem…

When he finally returned to the Institute, Will tried to enter as quietly as possible. It was well after midnight. He would have succeeded, too, if Jem hadn't scared him half to death barely two paces inside the door.

"Hello, William," he said from the sitting room, just as Will had been about to take the first step up the stairs. Will turned to look too quickly, missed the step by a full three inches, and smacked his shin so hard against the stair that he toppled over in pain.

"By the _Angel_!" he swore at Jem from his place on the floor. "Is there a _reason_ you're lurking about in the mid-morning hours like a vampire, James, or was it simply your intention to kill me under cover of darkness?"

Jem hummed, unamused. "I was just thinking," he said quietly.

"Thinking doesn't ordinarily cause so many near-fatal injuries," Will whined.

"No, but gin does," Jem said evenly. "I shall not feel sorry for you, Will. You've brought this on yourself."

Will pouted but picked himself up all the same. He felt his way into the sitting room where he could only just make out Jem's profile in the moonlight. "Might we turn on a light, it's-"

"No," Jem's voice was calm, but Will could hear the gravity beneath it. He took the armchair across from Jem's and asked: "So what is it you're thinking, then, Jem?"

"You're awfully smart, Will, what do you _suppose_ I'm thinking?"

Will flinched at his tone, feeling like a scolded puppy. "…That you'd like to take a swing at me with your cane, dissolve our _parabatai_ bond, and ship me back to Wales?" he asked, only half joking.

"Well you're right on one count, at least … I _would _like to give you a sound beating, and you'd deserve it, too." Jem paused. "But I would never wish you away, Will, and nothing in the world could ever make me wish to dissolve our bond. Why would you say something so terrible?"

Will shrugged, then realized that Jem could not see him in the darkness. "I don't know," he said, sounding pathetic. "It has just seemed, with Nan around…"

"Ah," Jem interrupted, sounding only mildly amused. "I suppose I owe Jessamine a shilling. Thanks for that, brother."

"How can you joke?" Will demanded, suddenly too flustered to censor himself. "He was meant to be your _parabatai_ before me – he _should_ be your _parabatai_!" And then: "You two are perfect for one another. Everyone can see it. I – I am so sorry you've been stuck with me, Jem. I'm sorry you had to come here when it's obvious you belong in Shanghai, you belong with- with Nan."

Jem sighed heavily, as if he had been expecting an outpouring of this sort. "Will," he said softly, "are you _blind_?"

Will was about to reply when he felt Jem take his hand and realized that the other boy was kneeling at his feet. "Nan and I were childhood friends, and he is very dear to me. But he is as surely a part of my past as you are a part of my present… _and_ my future. Nan was meant to be my _parabatai_, yes, but it was not as simple as you might imagine. We … Nan asked me to be his _parabatai _when we were ten. We were friends, good friends, but I knew we were not meant to be _parabatai_. I could never have told Nan this, of course, it would have hurt his feelings. And our parents were very close. The bonding of shadowhunters at the Shanghai Institute is more … more _political_ than it is here in London. Nan's father was in a position of some power, and my parents ran the Institute. It was rather expected that we would become _parabatai_, whatever our own personal inclinations might have been. I do not doubt that Nan was sincere in his request, but there was far more to it than our personal relationship…"

"I don't understand," Will interrupted, miserably, "Why _didn't_ you want Nan? If you were so close…"

"We were," Jem nodded, "we were very close friends. But _parabatai_ are more than _friends_, Will, surely you know this. I did not feel any deeper connection with Nan – even as a boy I knew we would not have been compatible. You _feel_ your _parabatai_, even before you are bonded, do you not agree?"

"I do," Will breathed, waiting for Jem to finish.

"I did not feel that with Nan; I did not feel that _for_ Nan. But my parents and his parents were determined that we be bonded, and I could do little to change their minds. Besides, I _did_ care deeply for Nan – we would not have been utter failures as brothers. I could have done far worse. So we scheduled our ceremony and began training together. But then, of course, well … you know what happened next."

This time it was Will who squeezed Jem's hand. "I'm sorry," he said, and didn't know if he meant sorry for Jem's parents or sorry for the mess he'd made.

"William," Jem said, and the name sounded perfect on his lips. "You have not a reason in the world to be jealous of Nan. I know you cannot see inside my head, inside my heart… But if you could, you would know how very differently I see the two of you. Nan is a dear friend, certainly, and his visit brings back all sorts of happy memories – Shanghai, my parents, my childhood. But you are my brother, William, and I do not take that lightly. When I met you, when we were bonded, I knew what _parabatai_ were _meant_ to feel. I felt for you all the things I had never felt for Nan, I-"

"Please stop," Will whined, "God, Jem, I'm so sorry. I've been a miserable wretch. You're right about everything. You _usually_ are. I'll apologize to Nan first thing in the morning, if you wish it."

Jem chuckled. "Why, Will, you must be truly touched. You _never _apologize, not to anyone."

"I apologize to _you_, Jem," Will said, "and to whomever you ask me to. You're my conscience, after all, or so Charlotte is fond of saying…"

Jem shook his head. "You have your own conscience, Will, and a good one, though you seldom choose to listen to it."

Will chuckled. When he became serious again, he said: "I seem to always be a disappointment to you. It is never my intention, but it certainly seems inevitable."

"Oh, Will…" Jem reached a hand up and Will felt it, cool against the side of his face. He was startled at first, but not truly. If he had ever stopped to think on it, he _knew_ Jem loved him this much.

Will took Jem's fingers in his hand and slid off the chair to join him on the floor. "You really ought to be sleeping, you know." A beat and then: "I'm sure Nan will have you up with the sun again tomorrow."

"Ugh," Jem groaned, laughing, "he does like to be up at an absurdly early hour."

Will laughed and Jem laughed and the air in the room felt just a bit lighter.

After a moment, Jem sighed. Will was very conscious of the fact that they were still holding hands. "Will," Jem said, cautious, "I know you've had quite a lot to drink. But I wonder … if I asked you something of an odd question, do you think you could answer it truthfully?"

"Of course," Will said, without thinking.

And Jem said, "Were you _only_ jealous of Nan as someone who might once have been my _parabatai _before you?"

Will swallowed, suddenly feeling much more sober than he had any right to. "I don't understand the question," he said, knowing it was pathetically evasive.

Jem sighed again, but it sounded sadder this time. "Then that is answer enough."

Will bit his lip, hard. Jem was pulling his fingers away, and Will tried to hold them as long as he could. When he couldn't hold on any longer he said suddenly, breathlessly: "I thought you were lovers."

The last word seemed to ring in the silence of the empty room. Then Will exhaled and said, "Not _then_, obviously. Not back in Shanghai, you were just kids. But … but you're grown now – and then there was all this talk of writing letters through the years. I – I thought you might have fallen in love with him. I thought that was why he was coming back now. To- to claim you or … or… Oh _hell_, Jem, I don't know. I just know you never spoke a word of him to me before, and suddenly he shows up looking gorgeous and exotic and hanging on your every word, always at your elbow like some lovelorn _girl_…"

Jem laughed. "Will, he only speaks Mandarin. He is, quite literally, incapable of speaking with anyone else _but_ me. Of course he sticks close to my side-"

"But you do the same!" Will argued. "You ignored me all through dinner yesterday and practically all day today."

Jem sighed and scooted closer. "Perhaps you're right," he admitted, and Will's heart dropped. "I shouldn't have tried to keep you from him, when you might have been friends."

Will scoffed. "I don't have _friends_, Jem – whyever would I want _Nan_ for a friend?"

"I wasn't afraid you'd want _him_ for a friend," Jem chuckled, "I was afraid he'd want _you_."

Will frowned, and Jem took his hand for the second time that evening. "You don't seem to understand the effect you have on others," Jem said, almost darkly, "do you?"

"I do," Will protested, "they generally find me absolutely repugnant."

Jem laughed. "Yes," he agreed, "because you try so very hard to make them. But even through all that, they are irresistibly attracted to you. No, let me finish," Jem said when Will tried to interject. "You're absolutely breathtaking, William, in all that you do. Your beauty draws the eye, just as your arrogance rouses the soul and your wit captures the imagination. Even the broken bits of you are captivating. Do you think I could let anyone near you who might steal you away from me? Nan is, as you said, quite handsome himself. You noticed – and I noticed you noticing." Jem laughed at himself. "It all seems so silly now, doesn't it?"

Will smiled, "Too bad he thinks I'm hideous."

Jem laughed too loud. "That _did_ take me by surprise," he admitted, "though it also set my mind at ease – made me realize how foolishly I'd been acting."

"Foolish or no, you certainly wear your jealousy much more gracefully than I," Will said, mocking. "No matter how you frame it, my behavior has been tenfold as poor as yours."

Jem hummed, not disagreeing. Then he said thoughtfully, "We haven't finished discussing my earlier question, you know."

"We have," Will said, "we each have acted abysmally and have apologized."

"Yes," Jem said, "but is that the end of the discussion?"

Will groaned. "I've had far too much gin to be speaking in riddles, James." But he knew what Jem was about to say, and it made his blood pound faster.

"…Do you love me, Will?"

Will sighed, tried one last time to ward off the subject. "Of course I do, Jem – what an absurd question."

"No, Will. Not as my friend, not as my _parabatai_. Were you … were you upset to think of Nan as my lover because, well, because you consider _us_ to be lovers already?"

Will could hear his heart beating in his ears. "I…" he stuttered, never able to lie to Jem when Jem looked at him that way. "I … well, I suppose I do."

Then he spoke very quickly, trying desperately to claw his way out of the hole he had dug for himself. "Though, Jem, I know how _outrageous_ that sounds, for me to think something like that. If you ever wished to take a lover, Jem, I would never presume to have any … any claim on you – please do not take today as evidence to the contrary. If you … if you _wished_ to take someone as yours, Jem, how could I ever stand in the way of your happiness? I may be brash, immature, and selfish, but I am not heartless. It might take some time, of course" Will swallowed, "to accept … your- your … lover, but I _would_, Jem, of course I would. I know you are not exclusively mine; I know we are not … lovers. Obviously. We have never even…" he let his voice drift into the stillness, let the blush color his neck and ears rather than say the words that would made his stomach flip over.

Jem chuckled. "How quickly you try to push me into the arms of another. And you're right. We have … _never_," he mocked Will, a devilish smile turning up his lips. "Though," he continued, the oddest tone to his voice, "if you would like to try, you would not find me contrary to the idea."

Will sat a moment; let Jem's words sink in. They sank slowly, and Will waited. _Had Jem just suggested… was Jem asking… did Jem just say…?_

"Yes," Will said, too quickly. "I mean, I _would_ like to… try. Are we trying _now_? I mean… this isn't a joke?"

Jem laughed, though it sounded suspiciously like a giggle. He pulled himself up to his knees and leaned down until he was an inch from Will's face. The moonlight came in and illuminated a boyish grin. "For someone so smart, you are awfully slow."

Jem was too close; Will's breath was coming faster. He didn't know why Jem was laughing when they ought to have been kissing…

"Jem, _please_…" Will whispered, and Jem stopped smiling.

"No," he said softly, almost regretfully, "we are not trying now. It is late, you have had _far_ too much to drink, and I would not want to take advantage."

Will pushed himself up to his knees as Jem had, meeting him halfway. "You wouldn't be taking advantage," he said eagerly, "I'm quite-"

Jem put a finger to Will's lips and it sent a shiver up Will's spine. "Do not tempt me, William," he said, his eyes suddenly dark. "In a few hours Nan will be awake and I will have to play the gentleman host."

"But-"

"Will," Jem warned, his voice low. "If you take me to your bed now, I do not believe I will be able to leave."

Will stared at his _parabatai_ as they knelt together on the carpet. They were knee-to-knee, chest-to-chest, a hand's span away from kissing. Jem was speaking, but his words were making Will's ears ring and all Will could do was sit and gape at him like a fish out of water.

"There is, however," Jem continued, his breath warm on Will's face, "one thing I would like to try … now. If you're amenable."

"Yes," Will said again, pathetic again. "Anything you say, Jem; whatever you want."

But it was not Jem who kissed first. He was laughing again, laughing at Will and Will could have punched him for making him wait, for teasing him so. But he didn't punch him; he kissed him instead. He took matters into his own hands and tackled Jem to the floor, sending both boys sprawling. Will landed on top and kissed Jem and kissed him and kissed him. He pinned Jem's hands on either side of his head and held him and kissed him as he'd wanted to kiss him each and every day since the first day they'd met.

Jem broke away first, nearly gasping for air. "Will," he smiled, he laughed, "Will, you have to slow down. My lungs – you forget! I need air, William!" he laughed as Will kept trying to pin him back down. Finally Jem jerked his hips forward, twisted his legs around Will's torso and flipped the other boy beneath him with impressive dexterity. From his new vantage, Jem grinned mischievously. "You must behave," he said, but Will only pushed himself up on his elbows, trying to reach Jem's face once again. "William!" Jem scolded happily. "I'm quite serious. I'll be distracted enough tomorrow without reliving these moments over breakfast…"

The only thing that saved him was his fierce blush. Will saw it and smiled, knowing that Jem was sincere; that he _wanted_ just as much as Will wanted. And that was enough … enough, at least, to make waiting bearable. Will could not resist pushing Jem just that much further, however, and he rolled his hips up into the other boy with a sigh and a grin.

Jem moaned suddenly and exposed the white of his throat. It was enough to make Will rethink the whole _waiting_ idea, and Jem must have seen it in his eyes, because when he looked back down at Will he gasped, said desperately, "I can't, Will, I _can't_…" and beat a hasty retreat to the sofa in the corner.

Will remained on the floor, watched Jem go, felt the air come and go from his lungs in an attempt to clear his head.

"Will…" Jem said from his safe distance, "I – I do not think I can remain in the same room as you. Not … not right now."

He was breathless, and Will smiled to hear it, feeling quite pleased with himself. He grinned impishly and said, "Then go to bed, James, and I shall see you at breakfast…"


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Hello all! As I said before, I think the last chapter did what it was supposed to in terms of summing up the story as far as plot is concerned. This last installment is really nothing more than a cute, sexy little something that I could not help but add even after I had "finished" writing the story. I hope you enjoy, and a big thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, or left me wonderful words of encouragement. I am hoping to begin working on some sort of companion piece written from Jem's point of view, though I can't make any promises about the progress of that story as I haven't even started it yet lol. Anyhow, this story has been a pleasure to share - please enjoy!_

* * *

Will spent another frustrating night listening intently for any sound from Jem's bedroom, but was disappointed this time around to hear only silence. He drifted into a fitful slumber and his dreams were filled with silver eyes and the flash of pale skin and a voice that kept taunting, over and over, saying: "If you take me to your bed now…"

When finally he woke, it was to the realization that the room across the hall was no longer silent. Jem was awake, and playing his violin. Quite violently, as a matter of fact… Jem's songs were usually sweet lingering things, or else lovely sad things, occasionally love songs. But this … this was harsh and it made Will breathless just to hear it. The notes were short and desperate and they met no resolution, only crescendo after failed crescendo, until Jem hit a sour note and left it.

Will smiled and slipped silently out of bed. He did not bother to put on a dressing gown, but crossed the hall in nothing but his pajamas. He entered without knocking. Jem was pacing back and forth across the room, aggressively rubbing rosin into the bow of his beloved instrument. Will watched the thing go violently back and forth through his palm and winced.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Jem actually dropped his bow. "Will!"

"You might take better care of that, as it seems your only method of relieving … stress."

Jem picked up his bow with a huff and placed it on the bed next to his abandoned violin. "And you might knock before barging into a gentleman's room at night."

"No barging would be necessary if certain gentlemen were not attempting to wake the dead with their predawn composing."

Jem hummed thoughtfully. "That bad?"

"You couldn't tell? You were the one playing."

"I never think when I play," Jem sighed, "That's _why_ I play."

Will smiled and took the liberty of moving into Jem's room and closing the door behind him; Jem watched his every step.

"Well, _ordinarily_," Will said, "I'm the only one sleeping in this wing of the house, and I have no objections. But you _do_ currently have a guest next door. Do you not think it might be better to let him sleep?"

Jem put his head in his hands and groaned. "Ugh. I forgot about Nan…"

Will raised an eyebrow. "You _forgot_ about Nan?"

Jem looked sideways at Will, "I've been distracted," he said pointedly, and Will couldn't tell if he sounded playful or miserable or a combination of both.

"Well perhaps he's slept through it," Will said, trying for reassuring.

"I'm sure he hasn't. He's just too polite to object."

Will shrugged his shoulders and looked out Jem's window. "It's near enough to dawn, anyhow. No use going back to bed now."

"You'll not try for more sleep? I promise to keep it down."

"No rest for the wicked," Will grinned, and Jem rolled his eyes.

There was a moment of silence then. It wasn't awkward, necessarily – they were far too close to ever let any awkwardness come between them. But it wasn't comfortable, either…

"Will, I-"

"Jem, when-"

They both laughed, and Jem said: "Please, you first."

"No no, it wasn't of the least importance," Will protested. "You go."

Jem swallowed. "I- I just wanted to ask…because I know last night was a bit of a blur. I just … I don't want you to think I would ever hold you to anything you said. You had been drinking, and it had been an emotional day … for both of us. I just … if you're having second thoughts-"

Will didn't let Jem finish, but met him where he stood near the window. He didn't stop when he got there, either, but kept on until Jem was forced to retreat, until Jem's back hit the wall, until they were nose to nose…

"No second thoughts," Will said, and closed the distance between them.

At the feel of Will's lips, Jem did not hesitate to take hold of Will's shoulders, to pull him closer.

Will brought his hands up to hold Jem's face so that Jem was perfectly imprisoned between his hands, the wall, and his mouth.

Jem moaned almost immediately at Will's eagerness and the glorious way the other boy's body seemed to radiate heat at every place where it touched his own.

And Will sympathized. He felt Jem press his hips forward and took the opportunity to slip his knee between Jem's knees.

"Will…" Jem whispered, "Oh-oh God…"

The sound of Jem's voice inflamed Will yet further, and he groaned as he moved his mouth from Jem's face to his neck, to his shoulders. He pried the fabric of Jem's pajamas away from his skin with fingers that trembled. He could feel Jem watching the top of his head as he kissed his way along Jem's newly exposed flesh; he could feel Jem's hands scrabbling for purchase at the back of his shirt; he could feel Jem breathing in his hair. He bit down and Jem's breath caught. He sucked and Jem's hips thrust forward again. He nuzzled at Jem's neck and Jem's head fell back in ecstasy.

Neither could ever know how far they _might_ have gone had not someone knocked on the door at that very inopportune moment. But Will startled and Jem jumped back, looking adorably flustered with a healthy blush and a little love bite turning a pretty purple on his collarbone…

"C-come in!"

Nan – _of course_ it was bloody Nan – peaked in, clad in a dressing gown and looking completely composed. Will wondered bitterly if he _ever_ looked anything less than perfect. He seemed to take in both boys for a moment before asking Jem a question in quick Mandarin.

Jem answered back, trying not to look too obvious despite the fact that his pajama top was crooked and his pajama bottoms were sitting _far_ too low on his hips…

Nan looked once at Will, and Will grinned wickedly despite having no idea what the two Chinese boys were discussing. Jem rolled his eyes and said something to reassure Nan. His voice, however, was just the slightest bit uneven and Will swelled with pride at the fact that _he_ had done that…

But Nan seemed at ease and disappeared back around the corner, closing the door behind him.

Jem fell back on the bed and groaned. Will joined him immediately, feeling giddy with lack of sleep and illicit kisses. "Well he had better know who your parabatai is _now_," he half-joked, secretly feeling on top of the world with the knowledge that Jem was _his_ and that Jem had always _been his_ and that Jem always would _be his_.

Jem laughed and Will watched the way his entire face seemed to light up with the same heavenly silver light that had touched his hair and eyes. "He _did_ hear me playing," Jem explained, "he just wanted to make sure I was okay."

Will scoffed. "I don't care if he heard the London Philharmonic – he has no business in your bedroom."

"He was just being thoughtful, Will."

"If that's what you call it," Will nuzzled at Jem's shoulder, just so that they both knew that he was kidding.

Jem chuckled, humming deep in his throat. "_For love is strong as death_," he mused, "_and jealousy cruel as the grave_."

"How romantic," Will teased.

"Oh," Jem said after a moment, serious again, "What was it _you_ were going to say before?"

Will leaned up and bit playfully at Jem's ear. "Before I was so rudely interrupted?"

Jem giggled and pulled his shoulder up to his ear, trying to ward Will off. "Yes," he laughed, "before that."

Will threw an arm across Jem's chest and kissed his shoulder. "I was going to ask you when Nan was leaving."

Jem sighed, though there was humor in his voice. "He's only just arrived, Will."

"Yes," Will agreed, "but then you told me you wouldn't let me touch you until he left. Now I _need to know_ when he will leave."

Jem brought his hand up to where Will's was resting on his chest. He interlaced their fingers. "You're touching me now," he said softly.

Will raised himself up onto his elbow and looked down on Jem, a smirk on his lips and a darkness in his eyes. "Oh Jem," he said, "don't play the innocent. It doesn't suit you. It may have, once. But not now."

Jem licked his lips and refused to back down from Will's piercing gaze. "What is so different now?" he challenged.

Will dipped to kiss Jem's nose, then his cheek, then his jaw, then his neck. He bit down on the place where he had already left a mark, and Jem sucked in a breath. Will felt the body beneath his tense in anticipation and he raised his lips up to Jem's ear: "_That's_ so different," he whispered. "_Everything_ is different, now that I know I can make you _do_ that…"

Jem shivered, though he smiled. "This all seems a little one-sided. Yesterday you weren't able to form coherent sentences. How-"

"Yesterday I was so jealous I couldn't see straight," Will corrected.

"Hmmmmm," Jem replied, which really clarified very little. He watched Will carefully, and Will felt oddly exposed. He did not have any warning, either, when Jem clasped the back of his neck and pulled him down for another kiss. And it was different this time – neither greedy nor desperate. It was slow, and willful. Jem used his lips to push Will's open, let his tongue move lazily against Will's, tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of Will's head.

This time it was Will who moaned and Jem turned his face to the side when he heard it, bright and boyish delight on his face.

Will did not let the loss of Jem's lips halt his kiss, but kept kissing, leading a sloppy trail down Jem's throat and all the way to his collarbone. He moaned a second time to feel the powder-fine skin there and Jem turned back to nuzzle his nose into Will's curls. "Will…" he whispered, half plea and half chastisement. "_Will_ … we can't …"

Will shook his head fervently and kept kissing.

Jem ran his fingers through Will's hair, kept saying his name, kept gently pushing him away until finally Will groaned against Jem's chest and let his head fall back to the bed. "_Ugh_," he said, feeling on fire, "When in _God's_ name is Nan leaving?!"


End file.
